Jump into the Past, Change My Future
by lezonne
Summary: Time-travel, war-centric story. After an accident in 5th year, Draco and Hermione find themselves stuck in the 1630's. Voldemort is rising and ready for war, and what they find in the past could save their future. EWE. AU from 5th year on. M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: This is a story that came to mind, and I've written a couple drafts to try and get my brain working to go back to Breaking Skin.**

 **If you've read my story Imagine, this will have a similar feel with time travel mixed in.**

 **Please note: my old English is pretty rough, so I will edit it as a I go or I will simply annex it and have everything in modern English. However I find that time travel stories are lacking in the area I would like to see it, so I decided to try it myself.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts. As the story unfolds more details will be explained.**

* * *

Hermione slipped between two sixth years, barely dodging the burly shoulders as she continued rushing down the hallway, her bag slapping against her left hip. Fifth year was off to a banging start and if she did not get to class soon she would undoubtedly miss something important.

If the hallways weren't so busy she could get there faster, but getting to Care of Magical Creatures was difficult at best. If her last class wasn't on the sixth floor she wouldn't have this problem.

At least Harry and Ron were in her next class. She wasn't sure she could handle a class so weighed down by Slytherin's without them.

"Oi, 'Mione!" someone called out from behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Ron and Harry approaching. The latter appeared even paler than this morning.

"Are you sure you've been getting enough sleep?" she asked again, ignoring Ron when he tried poking her in the side and calling "'Mione" again. "You're worse off than earlier."

"It's just these headaches," Harry muttered, keeping pace with his two friends. "The past couple days I just can't sleep."

Frowning, she tried to keep her worry down. Fifth year was only just beginning and Harry never looked so sickly. He'd gotten paler in the last week since term started, and he'd started complaining about headaches and night terrors. She was concerned what this could mean. Usually he didn't have any issues the first few weeks of term.

"Does it have to do with You-Know-Who?" Ron asked as they approached the class. "I mean, you said the other day you thought something might be in the works."

"I never really know," Harry admitted, wiping at his brow. She could see the lightest sheen of perspiration, and that was worrisome. "Just a feeling. Even Dumbledore seems disturbed by whatever is going on. I don't know what _he_ has in store and I have no idea what to expect."

Hermione nodded, well aware that something fishy was going on. It was all over the grounds; there was a shift in the wind that just couldn't be explained. After the tragedy of last year everyone seemed on edge. Even the Slytherin's were acting strangely, like they could tell something was up too.

Though she wouldn't admit it, some of the staff were questionable too. The same teachers were always around but now some of them were picking up strange habits. She would be surprised if Dumbledore didn't suspect something was up.

The trio stood in the outer ring of the group of students, continuing their conversation. No need to have the whole school in an uproar over nothing. Besides, Harry got enough looks for being so pasty lately as it was. The student body couldn't handle a catastrophe right now.

Brushing back her hair, Hermione was surprised to feel a zap. The air around them was charged with magical energy, and everyone could feel it.

But no one knew why. It'd been like this for days, excess magic hanging around the school. How one explains that she didn't know, but it was beginning to cause static shock just by contacting something with your hand.

"What would they be planning though?" Ron continued, scrunching up his eyebrows. He glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention. "It doesn't make sense for a new attach to start when the Death Eaters were defeated a couple months ago. They should need to recoup for longer."

"Dumbledore thinks Voldemort found a new secret weapon," Harry replied, his voice no more than a whisper. "He didn't say what."

"That's because no one is sure what the Death Eaters may have found," Hermione breathed, keeping one eye on Hagrid at the front of class. He'd begun talking, and she was surprised to realize she hadn't noticed. "How could they possibly turn the tides so quickly? We haven't' even fully figured out how to kill You-Know-Who yet."

Harry rubbed at his temple, inclining his head towards class again. "We can't talk anymore here, it's too dangerous."

Despite herself Hermione couldn't really argue that he was wrong. They couldn't speak brazingly about something so secretive in the middle of class, even if it was extremely important. Whatever Voldemort had in the works was enough for the whole school to notice a shift, and even the Slytherin's seemed on edge.

"… and will be our assignment for the next 'ew days," Hagrid was saying, surveying the class. "Now, I've partn'red you up with others who will benefit you, and my assignments will not be changed. Your partner is to your benefit."

Glancing sideways, Hermione shared a look with Harry and Ron. Hagrid never picked partners for you, so this couldn't be good. And now they had no idea what kind of assignment they would be dealing with.

Hagrid was one of the faculty members who was acting strange lately. He didn't let them come inside his house when they were down here yesterday, and rather rudely turned them away. Hagrid, even in his most unusual times, was never rude or cruel to the trio. Something was up, but she hadn't figured out what yet.

Whatever it was, she was ready for class to be over and lunch to begin. They needed to keep talking, and maybe they needed to demand an audience with Dumbledore. None of them should be kept in the dark about Voldemort's newest plans, least of all Harry. She was irritated that he hadn't even tried to talk with them on the matter in at least two days.

Something needed to be done, and fast. Even though she loved school she couldn't focus on class when a much bigger picture was in the middle of unfolding.

"… 'nd we 'ave Parkinson 'nd Weasley…"

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, snapping to attention. Hermione's eyes widened at the two familiar names being partnered together, and took a good look around the class. Everyone was scowling, and she slowly realized they were being partnered between houses.

Why would Hagrid do that when he knew everyone was at each other's throats? Hermione blinked, straightening out a little to study her teacher closer. He was acting awfully strange today, not only partnering up students but making matches that made no sense.

It wasn't like Hagrid at all.

"… Greengrass and Potter…"

Harry shot her a terrified look, apparently as surprised by the situation as she was. These pairings were starting to sound like a match made in hell. And with Greengrass he'd be lucky if she didn't bite his head off.

"…Malfoy and Granger.."

"You can't be serious," Malfoy snapped, dragging the words right out of Hermione's mouth. She felt the atmosphere in the group shift as their names were called, and it seemed students on all sides were surprised _Hagrid_ of all people believed they should be partners.

They'd kill each other by the end of the day, and that was just if things went well.

"Hagrid, these pairing are a joke, right?" Harry asked, stepping forward. Hermione glanced towards Malfoy, watching his pale face redden as he approached Hagrid, screaming profanities her brain wouldn't even track. Harry moved to step forward as well but she reached up to place a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from approaching.

"This isn't like Hagrid," she muttered, watching Malfoy scream at the half-giant. For his part, Hagrid seemed strangely unaffected. "Why on earth would he pair us up with a bunch of people we hate during a time when we are all on edge anyway?"

"Has he absolutely lost it?" Ron continued, stepping up beside them. "You're right Harry, this has got to be a joke."

"Hagrid doesn't look like he is joking," she replied, watching his unwavering expression as Malfoy continued to vent. Some of the other students were starting to argue as well about the assignment, and she worried they would all start to rebel until he began screaming.

"Alright, that's enough!" he cried, startling the students right next to him. Even Malfoy fell quiet, perplexed by his outburst. "The assignments are final! You are only partn'red together for a day, you will be fine!"

His outburst didn't stop the students from mumbling, but at least now it wasn't as loud. Hermione watched as everyone backed off again, giving in to what Hagrid had said. Still, she didn't trust what he was saying.

Hagrid hadn't acted like this the last few weeks, why would he now that everything was so tense? Sure his behavior was strange, but this was downright weird.

She listened for a few minutes as Hagrid continued explaining the assignment about tracking the animal patterns in the area, though this did not seem like the most constructive or important assignment. She noted as he spoke that his eyes kept darting around in an almost nervous manner.

Hermione couldn't really focus though. She was trying to determine how quickly Malfoy would try to kill her. The venomous look he was shooting her across the group spoke volumes.

"You should be back bef're the end of class," he finished, sweeping a hand across the group. "Don' be late now or you will miss lunch!"

Harry shot both of them a concerned look as Daphne Greengrass approached rapidly, her hands shoved deep into her pockets and a scowl already dancing across her cheeks. There was a fire in her eyes as her full attention zeroed in on Harry, daring him to run. "Come on then, I don't want to be out in the wind anymore. It's going to ruin my hair!"

Stricken, Harry followed slowly after the thin Slytherin girl who was stomping into the trees, leaving Ron to be dragged off by Parkinson in her hot pursuit to get out of that clearing. Hermione found herself to be one of the last people in there, a brooding Malfoy scowling on the other side.

 _Just my luck, I get stuck with the blond drama queen. At least I'm pretty sure I can best him in a duel._

With a sigh she began approaching Malfoy from the other side of the group, ignoring the curious looks people shot her way. Of course everyone wanted to know how this pairing would go. The only saving grace was Harry and Ron weren't overbearing with her assignment.

They at least knew she could handle herself. And they had their own maddening partners to worry about.

Approaching Malfoy she got her first proper look at the blond since the start of the year. For the most part she'd been doing her best to completely ignore him. He'd grown almost a foot since last year, and his cheeks were hollow now like he wasn't eating. His hair was longer and fringed, covering his leftmost eye when the wind blew.

He also looked ready to murder the next person who got near him, and she got the great pleasure of being that person.

She would not be deterred by a grouchy brat. Besides, the sooner they did whatever their assignment sheet said the quicker they could be done.

"Come on Malfoy," she signed, taking the last assignment sheet from Hagrid. The giant cast a dark look over her, and she frowned. He'd never given her such an odd look before. She would have to confront him later about this. "Let's get this over with."

"Don't boss me around Granger," he snarled, stomping past her. "I'm not about to listen to some little Mudblood."

Hermione tensed, waiting for another argument between Hagrid and Malfoy. Surely he wouldn't stand for his students talking down to one another like that. Yet instead of commenting he turned away, headed for a chair propped up on his porch.

Her jaw actually fell open. What was going _on_?

"I- ugh – Malfoy!" she cried, jogging to catch up. She could worry about this later, right now she needed to finish the assignment and go find Harry and Ron to tell them about this. "We're supposed to be a team, you know?"

He scoffed, turning to take their assignment sheet and tear it in half. "We can each do half the work without needing to talk. Go on, go study some stupid little creature." He turned without a word and continued stomping away.

Clenching her jaw she jogged behind him and grabbed the back of his cloak, startling the blond enough to get him to stop and turn around. He was in her face in an instant, wand drawn.

"Let _go_."

"We are doing the damn assignment together Malfoy," she snapped, using her wand to accio his half of the assignment into her hand. "That's the point, and I'm not going to get marked down just because you're being a douche."

Malfoy sputtered a moment, his wand arm slackening a bit. "Did you just call me a douche?"

"It's not like I have anything else to call you," she seethed, turning away from him to walk in a different direction. "Look the longer we argue the more time we have to spend together, and I'd rather just get this finished Malfoy."

He muttered something she couldn't hear, and after a moment she could hear the faint sound of his footfalls following her. "What is that blasted teacher doing anyway pairing us up? This is ridiculous! I don't want to work with a-"

"I swear Malfoy," she snapped, spinning around to face him, "If you call me that one more time I _will_ hex you."

"Am I supposed to be scared Granger?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he approached, turning suddenly to walk backwards at an angle away from her. "Other than that imbecile's decision to pair us up, I haven't seen anything truly scary today."

"Malfoy, you can't be-"

She was cut off as he suddenly disappeared with an _oof,_ slipping below the surface of the path. Eyebrows shooting up she dashed forward to where he fell, peering over the edge of a hole.

"Malfoy?"

The hole was dark for a moment before a light appeared, and she realized he was using his wand to light up the space. In reality he was only 6 meters down, and he looked completely unhurt, if not a bit dusty.

"Bloody hell," he snapped, coughing at the dust. He waved his arm around, looking at the little enclosure. With his stature he was almost as tall as the hole itself, and she was surprised he didn't hurt himself on the fall down.

"How did you manage to fall in a hole?" she sighed, fighting back a giggle. It was marginally funny that this angry Slytherin fell into a hole while trying to be cocky.

"Well it's not like I tried falling!" he snarled, glaring up at her. "Get me out of here right now."

Eyebrows shooting up, she did a glance down at herself for dramatic affect. "You expect me to help get you out of the hole?"

"Well it's not like I'm expecting you to lift me!"

"You can reach the edge!" she argued, kicking at the packed earth. "You can pull yourself out. Or just magic yourself!"

" _I_ fell in the hole!" he snapped, waving around the space. The entire enclosure couldn't be more than 5 meters wide. "Magic me out yourself."

"That's really not how it works Malfoy – hey, don't ignore me!"

She watched as he spied something in the little hollowed out space, suddenly ignoring her to get closer to one of the packed walls. She huffed and folded her arms as his attention was diverted. He disappeared partially from view to further inspect it, and she lost her patience.

"Malfoy, are you kidding me? Get out of the-"

"Granger, get in the hole."

" _Excuse_ me?"

"Just come down here."

"And why exactly would I get into that dingy little hole?"

"Granger-"

"Enough games Malfoy, we are wasting time. Get out of-"

"You ever seen a time turner?"

Hermione felt the words catch in her throat, and she twisted her neck to try and spy whatever Malfoy was looking at. Getting in the hole seemed like a truly awful idea, but she couldn't just ignore his statement. What was a time turner doing buried in the dirt?

Better yet, why did Malfoy know what it was?

Against her better judgment she hopped into the hole, careful to land without hurting herself. Dust shot up from the dirt on her landing causing her to cough, and she had to wave her hand a moment to clear the air. Turning, she spotted Malfoy on the other side with his wand, peering at a packed spot in the earth where something was wedged. She was amazed the thing wasn't broken.

Stepping closer she gazed at the device, confirming Malfoy's suspicions. She'd used a time turner long enough to be familiar with one. However her time turner was nothing compared to this. The one wedged into the earth was at least three times the size of hers, and she couldn't imagine it ever passing as a necklace.

Still, she was impressed he knew one on sight, and more impressed that he told her it was there.

"What is this doing down here?" she wondered, lighting her own wand to study it. From the looks of it the device was down there a long time.

Malfoy on the other hand seemed elated to have found it, his lips pulling back into a smirk. "No bloody way."

He reached forward to grab it and she swatted his hand away. "What are you doing? We need to take this to the Headmaster right away."

Scoffing he shoved her back, reaching for the time turner again. She latched onto his wrist just as the he came into contact with it. "Fuck _Dumbledore_ Granger, with this I'll-"

Malfoy stopped talking as the world around them morphed and turned, causing her stomach to want to empty. Her grip on his wrist tightened as the scenery around them shifted, the light overhead fading and coming back bright again.

Around them, the earth shifted slightly and then all at once, moving to begin refilling the hole. It happened in seconds, and what should've taken years took moments as the earth swallowed them up.

Hermione gasped, choking on earth. The sick feeling disappeared as panic set in. The earth all around her was back in place like she'd never moved and she couldn't see anything. Dirt was in her mouth and nose and she could feel herself quickly suffocating.

Mustering up her strength she jerked around to try and get the dirt to shift. She couldn't feel Malfoy's wrist anymore, she must've pulled away from him. The earth was loose and swayed with her movements, and after several moments of struggling she was able to break the surface and cough up the dirt in her mouth.

Pulling herself out of the loose earth she laid on her back and tried to breathe deeply, inhaling air she didn't realize she was missing. The sky looked much darker than before, but maybe that was the fogginess in her head from just being buried alive.

How the hell did that happen?

She jumped when the earth beside her broke away, and Malfoy's dusty head appeared. He coughed as well, throwing something across the clearing that she couldn't see before slumping over, spitting out dirt.

Rolling onto her side she ensured she had dragged her wand out of the earth before shifting to her hands and knees, trying to get her bearings. Everything felt wobbly, and it took several deep breaths before she could push herself to stand up and look around.

They appeared to be in a clearing, but it didn't look anything like before.

"Oh Merlin," she whispered, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat, watching Malfoy shift to properly sit up. "Where are we?"

"Where?" he asked, coughing again. "What do you mean where?"

Eyes widening, she turned to glare at him. "That was a time turner Malfoy! I don't know how, but I'm pretty damn sure we've traveled somewhere. Why else would that hole suddenly fill with dirt again?"

"What do you mean you don't know how?" he sneered, standing up. He flicked his wand, retrieving whatever he had thrown. She realized he'd tossed the time turner, which immediately flew back into his hands. "The fucking thing sent us here."

"That's not exactly how a time turner is supposed to work," she replied, walking closer. She ripped it out of his hand, certain it wouldn't send her somewhere else now that he had already touched it. The device was very war, and the topmost part that appeared to hold the date they traveled to was literally melted off.

She huffed. "Great. Of course the one part that gets ruined has the bloody date."

Malfoy shrugged, glancing around. "I can't tell how far back we traveled. The forest is a little more dense, but that hole could technically have been dug at any point. Without a date we have no idea."

Hermione started to say something and stopped, eyeing him suspiciously. For someone who seemed to not understand the basics of time turners he seemed very unaffected by their sudden arrival to wherever. Maybe Malfoy knew more than he was letting on.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Let's just get back to school. Time turners are not meant to take you through long periods of time, so we can't be that far off from class." She pocketed the device in her cloak, straightening out her school uniform. "And we _will_ be handing this to the Headmaster."

"Fat chance Mudblood," he snapped, drawing his wand again. " _I_ found the device. It will stay with me."

"And you seriously think I will agree to that?"

"I don't give-"

"Malfoy, we seriously don't have time to argue about this," she huffed, cutting him off. "It's getting dark and I don't know about you but I've had enough experiences with the Forbidden Forest in the dark for one lifetime. Let's just get back to school, we can figure this out later."

She spun on her heel and headed back in the direction they had come, hoping she recalled the path correctly. With all their arguing on the way in she wasn't so sure which way they'd come, but she had enough of an idea to not get lost.

Despite his arguing, Malfoy fell into step beside her. He might be a git but he understood just as much as she did that they needed to get back. Even if they only shifted in time a couple hours, the consequences could be huge.

Besides, she didn't quite know how to make a time turner work that didn't have rings, and that had a date and time that was now melted off. Perhaps the device was that way before they found it, but either way she doubted it worked properly now.

"We're going to see Dumbledore right away," she said, eyeing Malfoy as they escaped the forest. "I have no idea why this was buried in the forest, but it could be cursed-"

"Granger, we got buried alive after touching it. I'd say it's cursed."

Hermione shrugged, unable to disagree. Immediately she noticed that the grounds were almost barren, and she couldn't spot Hagrid's hut in the distance. She paused, doing a double take to see if they really came out in the right place.

"Doesn't the oaf live over here?" Malfoy asked, looking around. Off in the far distance they could see the Whomping Willow, but that was all that looked familiar.

"Oi!" someone called, drawing their attention. A student was fast approaching them, their cloak blowing in the wind. "What dost thou think thee are doing?"

They exchanged a look as the man walked closer, hints of stubble on his chin. He cast Hermione a disdainful look before directing his attention to Malfoy again. "What is she doing? Thou cannot dress so scandalous!"

"What are you, a wanker?" Malfoy asked, eyebrows knitting together. "Who the fuck talks like that? And what do you mean scandalous? Granger is literally the only girl who wears the blasted skirt to her knees."

"Who the e'll is Granger?" the other boy asked, eyeing her again. "An' who art thee?"

Malfoy's eyebrows short up, and Hermione wondered for a moment if they would fly off his face. "I'm Draco Malfoy you moron. And who are you? I've never seen the likes of you before; you can't possibly be a Slytherin."

The other boy snapped to attention, pushing back his hood to reveal a strikingly blond head of hair. His wand shot out, and in a moment was pressed to Malfoy's jugular. "Well _Draco,_ I Brutus Malfoy and I'ave never heard of a _Draco_ in the family."

Hermione's eyes widened, glancing back and forth between the two. She did not know much about Malfoy family history, but she was pretty sure they shouldn't be in the same timeline as Brutus.

Brutus eyes her again, moving faster than she expected with his other hand. They were all very close, and he was able to shove her back into the dirt and redirect his wand in her direction.

"Now, thou best tell me who thy really are, or I shall blast thy friend to the heavens."

* * *

 **A/n: So, this will be a time-travel piece but it has a bigger focus than getting home. Technically, if this story continues it will be war-centric and Draco and Hermione will return to their time to fight Voldemort, so be mindful of foreshadowing.**

 **I wrote this to try to get out of writer's block so we will see where and if it goes. I like time travel stories and have never been able to really write one, so we will see where it goes.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione watched Malfoy look between herself and this Brutus fellow, and sincerely hoped he wouldn't turn on her.

Why the hell would he side with a possible _poser_ Malfoy instead of her anyway?

"I _am_ a Malfoy," the blond snapped, not at all deterred as so-called Brutus leaned the wand closer to her face. Her fingers itched to reach for her own wand but she resisted, glancing between the two. Malfoy hadn't even drawn his yet.

"Thou is not," Brutus snapped, eyeing her again. His eyes flinted down to her legs, the skirt shifting up above her knees in the fall. Her socks only reached mid-calf, and with the wind blowing the hem kept trying to shift upward. As though mesmerized, he leaned forward and flicked the hem with his wand.

"Hey!" she screamed, jutting out a leg to kick him. He foot connected directly with his crotch, the dolt having leaned over to look closer at her legs. He howled as she scrambled to her feet, whipping out her wand in an instant to press to his forehead. "Don't _touch_ me."

Brutus crumbled, knees hitting the ground as he tried to catch his breath from her kick, his wand barely managing to stay in his grip. Hermione glanced at Malfoy, who seemed just as stumped by the bloke's interests in her as she was.

If he really was a Malfoy, he didn't know at this point that she was a Muggleborn. That would definitely change his interests.

"Who are you again?" Malfoy snapped, his wand slipping out of his cloak. "I don't like being played, and I don't like people pretending to be a Malfoy"

The other man sputtered, eyes glaring between the two of them. He did look surprisingly like Malfoy, the blond hair and grey eyes glaringly obvious hints. Still, even Malfoy didn't trust him. He was talking weird and acting like he had absolutely no idea who they were.

The longer they talked to him, the more certain she became that he didn't.

"My father will hear of this!" Brutus hissed. Hermione's eyebrows shot up at his declaration, looking over at Malfoy's puzzled expression. There was no way _that_ was a coincidence.

Hermione shifted forward, ignoring Malfoy's watchful eyes as she stopped in front of Brutus. "Can you tell me what year it is?"

Brutus' eyes widened, regaining some composure as he gripped his wand tighter, eyes raking over her stockings again. She chose to ignore him, deciding if he truly wanted to be an idiot she would gladly kick him once more. "Thou doesn't know? How can thee possibly _not_ know?"

"Just answer the damn question," Malfoy snapped, moving to her side. They might not actually like each other, but in that moment Hermione knew they were on the same side, at least until they figured out what was going on.

"1641," he replied, glaring between the pair. Hermione felt her heart drop, the realization that they had traveled not only through time but into an era so long ago hitting her hard. No wonder he kept looking at her legs so creepily. No one dressed like she did in this century!

Malfoy seemed to be in a slightly better predicament as far as his outfit. The Hogwarts uniform hadn't changed much for men, and although his look was more modernized than Brutus', he fit in a lot better. Her knee length skirt would get her a lot of weird looks if she kept wandering around like that.

It might also explain how there were suddenly two Malfoy heirs at the same, claiming to be students.

"I see," she muttered, backing away immediately. They shouldn't be seen, much less by some great-ancestor of the Slytherin's. What little color there usually was in Malfoy's face was gone, and for once he looked absolutely terrified. Reaching out she tugged on the sleeve of his robes, desperately hoping he would get the hint and bolt with her.

They had no idea what they might be affecting just by speaking to Brutus.

"Where art thou going?" the other blond snapped, aiming his wand again. He still looked a little shaken from being kicked in the crotch, but his determination was shining through again. Clearly, he didn't appreciate her actions. "Thou art coming with me, now!"

"We really aren't going anywhere," she stressed, grasping onto the blonds robes further. "We were just leaving, _weren't_ we Draco?"

His name tasted like acid on her tongue, but it was enough to snap the twit out of his sudden trance. Turning to glare at her, she could see the anger in his eyes. Whether it was specifically directed at her or not, she wasn't sure.

Brutus tensed, moving forward. "Thou cannot-"

"Stupefy," Malfoy muttered, successfully silencing his relative enough for his brain to start working again. The gears in his head weren't moving fast enough, absolutely stumped by what he was learning.

He thought time turners were an extinct art. The Ministry supposedly had some, and even the Dark Lord was rumored to have a stash of secret weapons but they were few and far between these days. He seriously couldn't believe they happened on one in the middle of the woods by chance, and it somehow resulted in him meeting an ancestor.

At least he didn't have to listen to the moron talk anymore. Brutus Malfoy was not at all what his history perceived him to be. Draco was always taught of Brutus' strides against muggleborns and having a hand in their undermining. Right now he couldn't imagine this uncollected buffoon doing much more than complaining.

"We need to get out of here," Granger was saying, drawing him out of his thoughts. She was fast approaching the trees nearest them, subconsciously pulling at her skirt as she walked. "We can't be seen."

"Why the bloody hell not?" he snapped, not following her into the trees. "We just need to find someone, probably that blithering moron Dumbledore, and convince him to send us back. The blasted time turner worked once, it's bound to again."

"We don't even know how it worked last time," she sighed, stopping at the forests edge. "Time turners really aren't supposed to work the way this one did. And anyway, we are about two hundred years early on meeting the Headmaster. He isn't born until the 1880's, and we are a little before that."

She took off into the trees when Brutus started stirring behind them, leaving Malfoy in her wake. He scowled, bolting after the brunette. He didn't really care who he encountered out here, so long as he could get home.

There was no way he would spend time groveling around ancient Britain until a solution arose.

He found Granger fairly easily, the girl having stopped near the front of the forest. She had her arms crossed expectantly as he bolted into her sight, as though knowing he would follow her. She opened her mouth to say something to him only to be cut off, his speed surprising her as he rushed at her. Grasping her around the neck, he threw her back into the nearest tree, ignoring the impact as her body slammed into the bark.

His wand was at her temple in a moment, the stunned expression on her face doing nothing to diffuse his anger. "Send us back, _now_."

"Let go of me, Malfoy," she hissed, fingers digging around in her cloak. He realized she'd let her guard down, probably thankful to be away from Brutus enough that she put her want away so they could talk. Her other hand clasped around his wrist, pulling earnestly at his crushing grip. "We ca-can't argue right now! We need t-to work together."

Draco squeezed harder, watching the color rush to her face. He couldn't just strangle her to death, or he'd have no way home. Her legs were beginning to kick, jutting out at his to try and convince him to let go. "You _knew_ as soon as we got here that something was wrong. You knew this was a time turner. So far, you've known everything Granger. So now, you're going to take me the fuck home."

She was gasping, fingers digging more urgently into his skin in an effort to get him to let go. He refused to recoil, aware that if he suddenly let her go she'd attack him. "I-I don't know how! I know no more than you do! But if you kill me you'll be on your own in this whole mess."

Huffing in annoyance he dropped her, immediately stepping back as she crumbled into the ground, choking in air. Apparently scaring her into giving up the answer wouldn't work. He glared at her as she looked up, eyes burning bright. Her neck was red and already starting to bruise, the crushing effort leaving its mark on her skin.

"I know you know something," he hissed, flexing his fingers. He didn't typically have to get physical with someone, usually Crabbe and Goyle handled that for him. Or his proficiency with hexes allowed him to handle the situation without getting near the other person. Yet he couldn't help wrapping his hand around her throat, the anger inside him pushing him to act.

This was all her fault, he was sure of it.

There was no fucking way he would just wait around for some sort of answer. He had a lot of shit to do, and he was pissed that he was suddenly – and forcibly – thrown into another time.

Nothing this crazy ever happened to him. But Granger and her little friends were known for getting into surprising amounts of trouble and sticky situations. There was no doubt in his mind this happened because he was in her company.

"I know nothing more than you," she seethed, forcing herself up. Getting to her feet took some effort, but she would not allow him the upper hand. Her body was trembling, one hand lightly touching the skin on her neck. She couldn't believe he tried to kill her when they should be working together trying to figure out what had happened to them.

Scratch that, she'd be a fool to _not_ believe that.

"All I know Malfoy is we found a time turner and now we're screwed," she continued, her wand arm trembling as she glared at him. She certainly wasn't scared, but her body felt shaky after having most of the air cut off. "And if you come at me again I won't hesitate to take you out."

He scoffed, turning away from her little rant. "Why the bloody fuck did we both get sent? I thought time turners only worked on one person."

"That's a myth. They can work for more than one, but I've never seen one like this. Usually you have to turn the device to go somewhere, each turn symbolizing a certain amount of time. We didn't do anything like that, and I didn't see any rings. Based off the facts we should've never been sent through time to begin with."

"I don't care what it is," Malfoy seethed, glaring at her. "All I care about is getting back."

Hermione nodded, glad they could agree on something. Clearly it wouldn't be civility towards one another, so she would have to settle on a mutual agreement for now.

If she wasn't concerned about what effects it would have on the future, she'd much rather just leave his arse there. He certainly didn't care about her, only the assistance she could offer with getting home.

"We need to get further away from the school," she replied, her voice sounding raw. She'd love some water right now, but hesitated casting such an easy spell when she wasn't sure if he would turn on her again. "We don't want anyone else recognizing us. It's bad enough we ran into someone _related_ to you."

He huffed but didn't respond, eyes glaring at her. The visibility outside was rapidly disappearing, and she had little desire to see what the Forbidden Forest was like hundreds of years ago in the dark.

"We should head towards Hogsmeade," she muttered, thinking of the next best place. What the town was like in this century she didn't know, but at least she could assume they wouldn't run into someone familiar there. "If we're going to be stuck here we may as well not be stuck in the cold."

"You'd rather trek out there than go to the school?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "If we just lie about who we are they probably won't even notice anything. It's a lot less work to crash there then walking all the bloody way into town. Do you feel this wind? It's fucking freezing."

" _You're_ going to lie about being a Malfoy?" she asked, floored. "I seriously doubt you'd last more than a few minutes with a lie like that. Besides, it wouldn't work anyway. Brutus will go back to the school and report us, if he isn't out here now looking to get even. We'd be suspicious. Our clothes certainly don't match this era, and even if they did you look too similar to each other. Your inbreeding genetics stick out too much; you and Brutus could pass for brothers."

Malfoy jerked around, ready to hex her for her comments but the witch disarmed him with ease, smiling at the shocked expression on his face when he realized she could move so quickly. "You got lucky that I let my guard down before and you could get so close. Don't think you'll ever have the chance to get so close again. If you so much as try to breathe in my direction, I'll hex you until you think you actually belong in this bloody time."

Despite her threat, he smirked. "A little catty tonight, aren't we Granger?"

"I get testy when people try to _kill_ me."

"Don't be so dramatic, I wasn't going to actually kill you. What good would that do? I need your massive mudblood brain to get us out of here."

Hermione signed, ignoring his jab. "Look, let's just start walking. We don't know what's out here in the woods, and we don't want someone else from the school to show up and harass us. We don't have answers we can really give. The longer we are here the more damage we are doing to the timeline."

"So our best option is to wander into town and hope things go well?" Malfoy waved his arms, watching the girl turn on her heel and wander away without acknowledging him. Grunting he followed along, not about to let her take the device somewhere without him. "That's a barmy plan."

"Well do you have a better one?" she asked, rubbing her throat. He fell into step beside her, hands shoved down into his pockets as they walked. The weather was cooling quickly, and he assumed this was half the reason Brutus didn't follow. She didn't flinch at his close proximity, but he could see her tense.

"Do you even have money with you?" he sneered, watching her cast a spell on the bruises forming on her neck. The marks disappeared almost immediately, though he wasn't certain if she used a healing charm or just hid them. Either way, it was moderately impressive that she could cast any spell without speaking. It wasn't as difficult as wandless magic, but it took practice.

"I have some," she muttered, patting a pocket in her cloak. "Not much though. We won't have access to our accounts in this time. So we better make what we have last."

Nodding, he decided it was a good thing the school had a Quidditch game tonight or neither of them would likely have anything on them. As a player he didn't actually buy any souvenirs from the gift shop, but lots of students updated their supplies at the beginning of the year. He still brought money to the game anyway in case he found something he actually wanted.

He was willing to bet he had a lot more sitting in his pockets than she did.

The path to Hogsmeade was strange. It was there, but the path was narrower than they were accustomed to. It didn't seem like as many students traveled between the school and town as they did in their time. While that was reasonable, it didn't make their walk any easier. The path was more overgrown, and several times they had to push branches out of the way.

Plus, the temperature was dropping rapidly. It was quite cold by the time they reached the outskirts of the town, enough so they'd both cast warming charms more than once. It was lightly snowing, quite a sight for October, and the wind was positively frigid.

Winter would be coming earlier than they were used to.

"At least everything here is familiar," Hermione said, looking around. Many of the old buildings they were accustomed to lined the cobblestone street, the shop names different but the layout mostly the same. "There's got to be an inn that we can stay at tonight that isn't full already."

"Long as you can afford it," Malfoy sneered, ignoring her scowl as he pressed ahead to the nearest building, the worn sign out front indicating it was just what they were looking for. This was definitely a store in their time, but he wouldn't argue.

Inside was crowded compared to the barren path they walked on the way there. Hermione followed directly behind the blond as he shoved his way towards the nearest counter, ignoring the scowls shot his way. Her eyes darted around, taking in the people nearest to them.

Most of them were men drinking from large tankards, a few women scattered around the open space. The entire place looked more like a pub than an inn.

She subconsciously moved closer to Malfoy as they reached the counter. She knew it'd be a problem, but her clothes weren't appropriate for where they were. Her skirt and socks were modest in their own time, the cloak swaying open to reveal her covered skin when she walked. But here everyone wore dresses to their ankles, some with slits up the sides but their legs were still technically covered. She stuck out like a sore thumb in a really bad way.

Malfoy might hate her, but at least he had no interest in her. His eyes never raked over her body the way these men were, the ones closest scooting in further.

"Do you have two rooms?" he snapped, drawing the attention of the attendant at the front. He was eyeing them curiously, all his focus on Hermione for a moment before acknowledging the blond in front of him.

"One," the man drawled, narrowing his eyes. "Do I know thee?"

"Doubtful," he muttered, rubbing his head. "Well who the hell else in town would have rooms available?"

The attendant frowned, scratching his head as he eyed them. "Cold front moving in. No one really has anything open. I only have the one now since most tried to leave with the weather. Won't find another inn with rooms tonight."

Hermione frowned, wondering if that was true or if he was just trying to sell them on the one. If she knew Malfoy he would absolutely disagree to sharing any sort of space with her.

Malfoy snapped something to the man, but she missed it as someone came up behind her, coming dangerously close to grabbing her body. She scooted away just in time, leaning against the counter to glare up at the offending man, her hand clenching around the wand in her pocket. He was clearly drunk and standing much too close.

With all the noise in the building she hadn't noticed he was following her.

Finding something else to wear would need to be her first priority, but with the frigid winds as night set in she was more concerned about warming herself on their walk than what she looked like. She should've made Malfoy give her his cloak for decency purposes. His was at least longer, and though it would drag on the ground it would cover more of her.

"Step back," she warned, drawing her wand to use the tip to push his back. The drunk seemed surprised that she'd dare to do that, and several of the people around them grew quiet. "Don't you understand personal space?"

Leering, the man looked her over again, and she grabbed at her cloak to cover more of her legs. "Thou cannot tell me of space, when thou asks for attention." He grinned, reaching out to grasp her shoulder. She flicked his hand away, watching his every move. "Doll, do not anger me."

"Don't test me," Hermione snapped, straightening. She wouldn't be bullied by a creepy pervert in this stupid inn. "You can back off, or I will make sure you can't have children. Either way, I suggest you don't touch me."

In hindsight, she probably should try being more tactful when turning down men in this era. Apparently talking back like that was not something people saw often.

Immediately he whipped out a wand, shouting out a clumsy spell. She deflected it with ease, blocking his hand when he snapped out to grab her. She was more than prepared to hex him for being so forward, but Malfoy interrupted.

"Bloody fucking hell, Granger," he snapped, finally paying attention again. He threw some money at the attendant, turning his body towards hers. "Do you always cause a scene?"

Her cheeks reddened, jabbing her wand in the unknown drunk's direction. "This is not-"

"Thou cannot talk to him so openly," the drunk interrupted, grabbing her arm now that her attention was diverted. "I shall teach thee a lesson."

He reached down to the front of her cloak, attempting to pull her closer. Instead he tore through the thin fabric and her blouse underneath, exposing her open chest and a large amount of cleavage. Hermione immediately jerked in his grip, bringing her arms down directly on his wrist until she heard a satisfying snap.

The drunk howled, immediately releasing her clothes as his wrist broke, the bone jutting out of the skin. He jumped backward, eyes wide as he prepared to hex her. She could feel everyone's eyes focusing on her as she took him out with ease, even Malfoy's attention focused on her.

"I'll be the one teaching you a lesson," she huffed, reaching up to pull the neckline back together. Her cheeks were reddening, the men who'd watched her walk in taking on more and more of an interest. "The way I'm dressed in no way reflects my attitude nor my _interest_ in getting better acquainted with you, and if you try to grab me again I promise I'll break the other hand."

"Granger," Malfoy seethed, his voice low and harsh in her ear. "I thought we needed to blend in."

"I'm not going to get harassed so we can blend in!"

"Your key," the attendant interrupted, handing something silvery to Malfoy. She hadn't realized he was actually paying for a room, not during all her blasted arguing. The poor fellow looked absolutely terrified to anger her, his eyes darting back to the drunk who was still howling in pain as he handed over the key. "Please, just take thy key. We do not mean thee any harm."

Hermione huffed, glad someone would at least take her seriously. Malfoy was practically glaring a hole through her head, stomping past her to the stairs. "Come on Granger."

"I thought there was only one room," she muttered, following his steps. She didn't want to stay there where everyone was staring, some people in anger others in interest. There was no way they'd leave her alone.

Malfoy sighed, not glancing back at her as he continued walking, unconcerned if she could keep up. "There is."

* * *

The room was small, much smaller than Draco cared for. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't even humor the idea of staying here, but after talking to the shaky man at the front he believed there really wasn't another place in town that they could stay. There was supposed to be snow coming in, and everyone visiting wanted somewhere warm the next several days.

At least the place was dirt cheap. With the money in his pocket he'd be set for several weeks.

Glancing at the Gryffindor beside him, he wondered why he bothered bringing her up. She said she had some money, and with the low prices he was quoted he was certain she had enough that she could find _somewhere_ to stay.

He just wasn't sure she'd get there in one piece. They stuck out, and while he could hide his blond hair like downstairs, she couldn't hide the skirt and blouse she was wearing. All they'd done was walk into one lousy building and everyone there seemed to believe she was a prostitute.

Draco almost snorted at the idea. Sure, he knew it was preposterous, but no one else did. They hadn't encountered all that many people who actually talked to them since arriving, but considering both men so far took too much of an interest in her, he assumed leaving her to find her own way might not be the best option.

He couldn't exactly let her get beat up or _worse_. He needed her to fix the damn situation they were in, and she couldn't do that if he left her to get attacked by too many drunken morons.

Oh, she owed him, big time.

"You can have the floor," he grunted, letting the thin door slam shut. She hadn't said anything since climbing but the stairs and he could at least count his blessings that she was giving his ears a break for once. "If I can find a blanket to spare I suppose you could have one of those too."

She didn't say anything, and he decided she probably wouldn't. There wasn't really a bathroom in the room, and he couldn't fathom what it would be like to try and groom himself in the morning. He was sure the wind did a number on his hair, and Granger's was looking more rat-nesty than normal. Glancing at the bed he scowled, unable to believe straw was the best idea for a place to sleep.

He could probably use his magic to produce something more comfortable than that.

"Now you better get to work on fixing that damn time turner in the morning," he continued, picking at the covers. They weren't the worst part of the room, and they would probably keep him decently warm even without a spell. The one window of course didn't have a screen, and he would need to do something to block out the god awful chill breezing through when the wind blew.

Finding what he deemed to be the worst blanket of the bunch, he threw it on the floor for Granger. It seemed fitting really, a Mudblood was more than deserving of sleeping on the floor. "Now there's only two pillows, and I need both of those so you might want to figure something out about that."

She was being unusually quiet.

Peering back over his shoulder he stopped moving, watching the girl in the dim lamplight of the room. She was still clasping the front of her robes closed, the hand holding together the fabric shaking a little. Her other was clenched so tightly into a fist it looked like her nails were biting into her skin, and he could see the telltale signs of little drops of blood falling onto the floor.

He frowned, finally focusing on her face. She looked like she'd been crying, her cheeks wet and shiny. But her eyes weren't scared, just set and determined. He didn't know what to make of her.

And he definitely didn't want her thinking he'd comfort her.

"Come on Granger," he grunted, falling down on the bed. With his wand he made himself a softer layer to sleep on, and a barrier to keep the chilly wind out. "Go to sleep. The sooner we get up in the morning, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."

She didn't respond, shifting towards the covered window instead of the mess he'd thrown together on the floor. The cracks were big enough she could see out, even if he was sure she couldn't feel the biting wind.

"I'm not ready to sleep yet. I'll get there."

Draco scowled, fighting the urge to argue with her. He was tired enough after the day they'd had, and his brain was on overload trying to cope with what was going on. If he thought a spell could fix this he would've tried by now, but even he knew something this complex couldn't be fixed easily. And it clearly wasn't a joke someone was pulling on them, not after the experience they'd had to far.

He definitely needed to rest. He'd probably have a meltdown soon if he didn't.

"Suit yourself," he muttered, closing his eyes. If she wanted to stay up that was her problem. He wouldn't make her do anything. It wasn't his problem if she chose not to sleep.

Frowning, he forced himself to remember she shouldn't really be his problem at all. He tried to focus on that thought as he fell asleep, but couldn't. Despite himself, he felt a little bad for her.

 **A/n:** So, here's the second chapter a little late. Don't worry about Hermione getting harassed the entire story, I just thought it was an important factor to point out since they clearly do not fit in. Next time we will see more development into why they are there!

Let me know what you think of the progression!


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